Attachment for plate-doubling machines.



No. 882,434. PATENTED' MAR. 17, 1908. F. WESTWOOD.

ATTACHMENT FOR PLATE DOUBLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31, 1906.

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No. 882,434. PA-TENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

F. W-ESTWOOD.

ATTACHMENT FOR PLATE DOUBLING MAGHINBS.

APPLICATION FILED DIE-0.31, 1906.

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FELIX WESTWOOD. OF SHORT CREEK, WEST VIRGINIA.

ATTACHMENT FOR PLATE-DOUBLING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed December 31 1906. Serial No. 350,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FELIx WVnsrwoon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Short Creek, in the county of Brooke and State of WestVirginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments forPlate-Doubling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a gage attachment for plate doubling machines,and the primary object of the same is to provide means for cooperatingwith the plate support, tables or leaves, whether the latter have asliding, folding or other movement, to uniformly double a sheet that mayhave an irregular extremity at a central point with respect to theshortest length of the sheet.

A further object of the invention is to prevent unnecessary waste ofmetal in trimming the irregular ends of rolled sheets by doubling asheet having one regular extremity at such point as to solely projectthe irregular extremity to permit the latter to be cut off or removedwithout affecting the regular extremity.

In rolling metal plates or sheets, the metal at one extremity of thesheet is frequently dragged out so that the sheet has an irregular end,and in pursuing the ordinary operation of doubling the sheet forrerolling or for simultaneously forming a pack containing a plurality ofsheets in laminated arrangement, the doubling machines now commonlyemployed double or fold the sheet at such point as to render itnecessary to trim both ends of the sheet in order to square up thelatter. This operation results in material loss of metal, and theadvantage of the pres ent attachment over machines previously em ployedfor doubling rolled sheets, is that the irregular extremity is projectedfor trimming purposes with considerable economy in the use of metal andexpedition in performing the trimming operation.

The gage attachment embodying the fea tures of the invention includes asessential the movements of the slide are irregular/and both slides whenslightly moved by engagement with a squared sheet end becoming instantlylocked to facilitate the actuation of the slides which may be in contactwith an irregular extremity 'of a plate or sheet, and thus insure anaccurate disposition of the plate or sheet in relation to the doublingmechanism and a fold or doubling of the sheet to fully project theirregular extremity beyond the regular extremity of the sheet.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of aportion of a plate doubling machine showing the gage attachment thereon.Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the devices shown by Fig. 1, and showingthe gage attachment at each end as it will appear when the parts are innormal position or cooperating with a sheet having the oppo siteextremities squared or regular. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2,showing the gage attachment in cooperation with a sheet having oneextremity irregular. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a sheetdoubled by the use of the gage and illustrating the irregular extremityof the sheet or plate projectedfor trimming purposes. Fig. 5 is a planview of one of the gage slides and a portion of one of the locking boltsfor the slide, illustrating parts of the slide and bolt as being brokenaway. Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of one of the gage slides.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the views.

In describing the application and operation of the gage attachment,reference will be made to one form of plate or sheet doubling machinefor convenience in explanation, and this particular form of machine hasinwardly and outwardly slidable or movable tables or supports. The useof the gage, however, is not limited in the least to this type ofdoubling machine, as it may be applied to a doubling machine havingfolding leaves with a break joint at the center, or to any other classof doubling machines to which it may be found applicable.

The numeral 1 designates an inwardly slidable table or support, one ofthese tables being located at each end of the machine and having anactuating lever 2 movably attached thereto and projecting inwardlytowards the center of the machine. The inner ends of the two levers 2are movably connected to diametrically opposed arms 0 secured on a rockshaft 4, the latter having an arm 5 projecting therefrom and operable atintervals by a suitable plunger 6 to impart movement to the rock shaft 4in such direction as to throw the sliding tables or supports 1 outwardlyto receive a plate or sheet, the outward movement of the tables 1 beingin opposition to the retractile efiort of a spring 7 attached to theinner end of one of the levers 2. Between the tables or sup ports 1 area pair of doubling rolls 8, and over these rolls is a reciprocatingcreasing blade or analogous device 9. The mechanism thus far describedforms no part of the present invention, and as hereinbefore indicatedthe gage attachment may be applied to a doubling machine having foldingleaves with a break-joint at the center of the machine.

One of the improved gage attachments is applied to each end of themachine and the construction is precisely similar in both devices, and adescription of one will suffice for both. Each attachment comprises asupporting plate or base 10 at opposite extremities, each supportingplate or base having transverse slots 11 formed therein and engaged byheaded studs or screw devices 12 secured to the table 1. The plates orbases 10 carry all the working parts of the gage and are adjustableinwardly and outwardly with respect to each other to accommodate plateshaving different Widths. Each plate 10 has an outer upwardly projectinglug 13, with an opening 1 1 therethrough. In line with the projectinglug 13 and movable longitudinally over the plate or base 10 is a slide15, having an outer stem or shank 16 movable throu h the opening 14 ofthe lug 13 and provic ed with a nut 17 to bear against the outer surfaceof the lug 13 to limit the inward movement of the slide. At the innertermination of the stem or shank 16 the slide has an upstanding angularprojection 18, and between this projection and the lug 13, andsurrounding the stem or shank 16, is a spring 19, which tends to forcethe slide inwardly into normal position when said slide is liberated orunengaged. The slide 15 has a \!-shaped head 20 at its inner end, thesaid head being in planes at right angles to the slide and projectingequally above and below the latter to insure reliable contact with theedge of the plate to be doubled. The lower projecting portion of thehead 20 extends into a slot 21 disposed longitudinally with relation tothe supporting plate 10 in which it is formed. This slot 21 with thehead 20 projecting therein provides means for preventing the slide fromhaving lateral play, but does not in the least restrict the longitudinalmovement of the slide over the supporting plate 10. The slide 15 isprevented from having a vertical movement or from jumping upwardly by anangular retention lug or guide 22, which engages the outer edge of thesaid slide. Each slide 15 at opposite ends of the attachment isduplicated in construction and has adjacent to the angular projection 18thereof an opening 23 extending transversely therethrough.

On each plate 10 adjacent to the inner edge of the slide 15 is a guide25 having an enlarged bore 26 extending therethrough, and a smaller bore27 normally in alinement with the opening 23 of the slide, both bores 26and 27 being in transverse relation to the guide and the one parallel tothe other. The enlarged bores 26 movably receive enlarged shanks 28 oflocking bolts, which have reduced stems 29 telescopically fitted thereinand held in fixed position by set screws 30, one of the latter engagingeach shank and stem. As before indicated, the shanks 28 are free to movein the bores 26, and the stems 29 have free sliding movement through thebores 27. The shanks and stems are in reverse positions to engage thetwo slides, and each is operated by one of the slides to lock theremaining slide through the medium of a bell-crank lever 31 fulcrumed atits angle on the plate 10 and having slots 32 and 33 in the free ends ofits arms engaging studs 34 and 35 respectively projecting from the upperportions of the slide 15 and adjacent shank 28 of one of the bolts. Theslots 32 and 33 permit the bell-crank lever 31 to move over the slideand bolt shank and thus have a clearance. It will be seen that as theslide 15 moves outwardly the bolt engaged by the bell-crank lever 31will be shot across the attachment in planes at right angles to themovement of the slide and into the opening 23 of the opposing orremaining slide.

The diameter of the openings 23 is greater than the diameter of theshanks so as to cause the said shanks to enter the said openings afterthe slides have been slightly moved when engaged by the square end orextremity of the plate to be doubled, and which slight movement of theslides is necessary to shoot the bolts in opposite directions and lockthe slides against movement to an extent greater than that required toobtain a positive engagement of the heads 20 with the plate end asclearly shown by Fig. 5. Then a plate to be doubled is placed on themachine under the creasing blade 9 and such plate has square or regularends, the gage attachments at opposite ends of the machine will serve tocenter the plate or position the latter to cause the creasing line to beexactly in the center with relation to the opposite ends, as clearlyshown by Fig. 2. lVhen a plate to be doubled is placed on the machineand has one squared or regular end and the opposite end irregular, theone gage attachment, or that cooperating with the regular end, will havethe slides thereof actuated only sufliciently to cause the locking boltsto engage the said slides, and the opposite end of the plate to bedoubled will automatically actuate the slides of the opposite attachmentthrough the pressure instituted by the spring 7 on the tables 1 untilthe irregularity is compensated for, and under these conditions the oneslide 15 engaging the greatest portion of the irregular projection ofthe plate to be doubled will be pushed outwardly the required distanceto compensate for such projection, whereas the remaining slide of theattachment at this end of the machine will become locked and the headthereof will remain in immovable contact with that part of the irregularend of the plate to be doubled which is nearest to the transversecentral line of the plate, and the locking of this one slide permits theother slide to have unrestricted motion. WVhen a plate to be doubledhaving an irregular extremity has been properly centered on the machine,as shown by Fig. 2, and in accordance with the operation just explained,the creasing blade 9 will be caused to descend and crease or double theplate in such manner as to have the irregular end of the plate projectedoutwardly beyond the regular end of said plate, as shown by Fig. at, andpermit the irregular projection at one end of the plate to be trimmedoff with a minimum loss of metal and a material saving in treating alarge number of plates.

WVhen the plates are cleared from the machine by the doubling operation,the springs 19 cause the slides 15 to return to normal position and atthe same time the tables or supports 1 also resume their normallocations. The bases 10, when adjusted on the tables 1 to adapt theattachment for use with plates having different widths, would, but forthe telescopic or adjustable construction of the bolts, cause the saidbolts to become inoperati've. In making this change in the position ofthe plates 10, the stems 29 are correspondingly adjusted in the shanks28, the relationship between the bell-crank levers and the bolt shanksalways remaining the same in view of the fact that said bell-cranklovers are mounted on the plates 10. When a plate to be doubled has bothextremities irregular, which may frequently happen, the gage attachmentswill properly center the plate by cooperation with the oppositeirregular extremities and the doubling operation will take place at suchpoint with respect to the plate that both extremities will be projectedfor trimming purposes without the least un necessary waste of metal. Itwill therefore be understood that the gage attachments operateeffectually both with a plate having a single irregular ektremity and aplate having both extremities irregular.

It will be understood that changes in the proportions, dimensions andminor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

is claimed, is:

1. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof, and locking means for the slides operated by the movement ofthe latter.

2. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at oppositeextremities provided with openings, and reversely movable lockingdevices operated by the slides to engage the said openings.

3. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endstl'icreof adj ustable to and from each other, and locking means for theslides operated by the movement of the latter and adjustable tocorrespond to the adjustment of the slides.

4. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof adjustable to and from each other, and re. versely movablelocking bolts connected to said slides and comprising telescopic parts,the locking bolts being adapted to engage portions of the slides.

5. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof ad justable to and from each other and having openings in theouter portions of the same, adjustable bolts to engage the slides, andlevers connecting the slides and bolts.

6. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof, and locking devices for the slides connected to and actuated bythe latter, the locking devices being movable in reverse directions.

7. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of base supports atthe ends thereof having slots therein, slides mounted on the basesupports and. provided with angular heads engaging the said slots, andmeans projecting upwardly from the base supports for preventing theslides from elevating above a predetermined plane.

8. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of base supports atopposite ends thereof provided with slots and upstanding guidedevices,slides having angular heads engaging the slots and also with reducedstems movable through a portion of the upstanding guide devices, meansfor returning the slides to normal position, and locking means for andconnected to the slides and operated by the movement of the latter.

9. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof having angular heads projecting above and below the same, andlocking means for the slides operated by the movement of the latter.

10. The combination with a plate. doubling machine, of slides at theends thereof having openings therethrough, and reversely movable lockingdevices operated by the slides to engage the said openings, the portionsof the locking devices engaging the openings being of less diameter thanthe latter.

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11. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof having openings therethrough, and reversely movable lockingdevices operated by the slides to engage the said openings.

12. The combination with a plate doubling machine, oi independentlymovable slides at the ends thereof, and reversely movable lockingdevices for the slides and operated by the movement of the latter.

13. The combination with a plate doubling machine, of slides at the endsthereof, and locking means interposed between the slides and operated bythe movement of one slide to lock the other slide against movement.

14. A plate doubling machine having at opposite extremities movabledevices for engaging the ends of a plate, and automatically operatinglocking means to engage said devices, the devices at one end of themachine, when engaged by a plate having a regular end, being equallymoved and becoming locked by said regular end of the In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

FELIX VVESTVVOOD.

Witnesses JAMEs L. NORRIS, Jr., CHAS. S. HYER.

